Afternoon everyone!
I spent a lovely morning at our local quilt shop yesterday (Bear's Paw Quilts - Yukon). It was sign up for the winter class session. I love sign up days, everyone is always out there early (before the shop even opens there's a line up) and there are goodies and treats, and coffee and tea. The walls of the shop are all covered in models for the session's classes. It's a great way to get inspired and creates a real buzz to get in on the classes as space is limited.

Having only been a quilter now for 2 years, I've made sure to take as many classes as I could to learn all the technical stuff. Now it's just for fun and social.

I ended up signing up for 3 classes:

Buggy Barn Crazy - we all pick our own Buggy Barn pattern and work together, learning the stack and whack technique. I'm going to do the Tree skirt pattern from the booklet Stir Crazy.

Spicy Spiral table runner - design by School House Quilts. This one is so cool, and we get to use a 9 degree Wedge ruler. So I came home with a new tool...love it!

Lone Star and Stripes - design by Piece O'Cake Designs. I've not done a lone star quilt yet and this one includes applique in the open areas.

I've found that I really enjoy sitting with a group of women, all of us working on similar projects. It really keeps us motivated. And we get to make new friends. I've attended a few retreats and I find I get overwhelmed when everyone is doing different things! I get too distracted LOL.

I took an 8-week quilting class from SID to FMQ to QAYG. What a font of knowledge..... Then I took a Hawaiian Applique class with Jean Brown. Too bad the LQS close to work closed their doors - the ladies are retiring.

I'm taking five classes - two one day sessions, two skill builder classes and another quilt project class. I'm really looking forward to it, but feeling a little overwhelmed with getting all my fabrics together. But having a lot of fun!

Mad Quilter, You took a class with Jean Brown??? How great is that. I have tried her Aunt Becky tool & would give anything to meet her & have her work with me. No one around here have heard of this tool.
I have signed up for a hand quilting class the end of Jan, Can hardly wait. I am strugglin g with my hand quilting .
Is Jean as talented as she seems in the videos I have seen her in?
Donna, The Rustic Quilter

I've signed up for 3 classes at my LQS. Elenore Burns Lovers Knot, Tennessee Waltz & the Braided Log Cabin from last spring's Quilter magazine. There's usually about 4 or 5 other people in the class and I agree with you it's so much fun quilting & socializing with others.

I am pondering a 2-session Log Cabin (I think it is an Eleanor Burns quilt) and a 2-session sweatshirt conversion. I have to make a decision soon as the one begins next week. I love to take classes...it gets me sewing and I enjoy meeting people who have the same interest (quilting) as I do. None of my friends are in to quilting at all. Sometimes I am very hesitant about signing up for classes in Jan and Feb due to the weather. I know that if the weather is really bad, they will reschedule but sometimes even if it is just a little bad, I don't want to go out in it.